All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd [39]
He laughed. “Please, I’d say, given the circumstances, we should at least be on a first name basis. Call me Max.”
“All right, then, Max. I feel like I’m staying in a hospital. White walls, white sheets…do you have anything with a splash of color?”
Again, he laughed. “You know, my mother taught me that beggars can’t be choosers.”
Kennedy’s hands jumped to her hips. “I’m no beggar, Detective Collier.”
“Max.”
“I’m no beggar, Max.”
He shrugged, but his eyes twinkled. “I’ll get you a set of sheets with color.”
She couldn’t help but smile.
After the sheets were changed, Max handed Kennedy a set of pajamas he had just bought a couple of days before. The flannel pajamas were still in the store’s plastic packaging. Kennedy took it along with some clean towels—again white—and headed off to the shower.
Not until she stood beneath a steady stream of water did she realize how much her body ached and how much she wanted to cry.
After stepping out of the shower, Kennedy toweled herself dry and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The first thing she noticed was how old she looked. She leaned closer and touched the bags under her eyes and wondered when she’d developed them. She dropped her hand from her face, and shook her head. Life was doing a number on her.
Kennedy tore the plastic off the new pair of pajamas. She stepped into the pants then laughed at how they swallowed her body. Not only was there no chance the waistband would cling to her small hips, the legs were so long her feet were buried in enough material to made an additional pair for Tommy.
The top wasn’t much better. While it fit her like a midlength dress, the shoulders were too wide and the sleeves too long.
After several attempts to tie and fold the material to make the pants fit, she gave up on them and decided to just wear the pajama top.
As she stepped from the bathroom and turned off the light, she heard a rap at the door.
“Yes?”
“Are you decent?”
She laughed. “It’s as good as it gets, I suppose.”
The bedroom door opened a crack and Max stuck his head through. When he caught sight of her, he laughed.
“Ha, Ha. Where do you shop anyway, the Jolly Green Giant’s closet?”
He shrugged. “Beggars can’t be—”
She cut him off with a hard glare.
“All right, all right. I just came to ask if you were hungry. I could eat a couple of horses myself.”
“Where are we going to get something to eat at three in the morning?”
He pushed the door farther open and made a dramatic bow. “Chef Maxwell Collier at your service.”
She crossed her arms and asked with a measure of disbelief, “You cook?”
“Madam, I do more than that. I create masterpieces.”
Her skepticism lasted a few seconds, before her stomach’s loud growl answered for her.
“I guess I’ll take that as a yes.” He winked.
She turned her head, in the hope that he wouldn’t notice her flustered look, and caught sight of a white phone sitting on the floor by the bed. She turned back toward him. “Can I join you in a few minutes? There are a few things I want to take care of.”
“Sure.”
Kennedy watched as his jovial expression faded, but was surprised when he didn’t ask any questions.
“I’ll see you in the kitchen in a few.”
She nodded and waited until he closed the door before she rushed over to the phone. She punched in the Warners’ phone number, and then nervously twisted the phone cord while she waited for the line to connect.
On the fifth ring, she reached the answering machine. She listened to Mrs. Warner tell her that they weren’t in and to please leave a message. At the beep, she hung up.
She stared at the phone and somehow managed to resist the urge to cry. He’s all right. He’s all right. Kennedy closed her eyes and clung to her affirmation—her hope. At this moment and time, it was all she had.
When she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, she thought the vast emptiness reflected how she felt inside. She’d lost so many important people in her life that she couldn’t fathom losing her baby. What would she do if she did?
Kennedy shook her head